The present invention relates to an open-face fishing reel of the fixed-spool type.
A prior-art type of fishing reels of this kind has a spindle which is rotatably and axially displaceably mounted in a housing and which at one end supports a line spool. The line spool is non-rotatably connected to the spindle and axially fixed thereto. A drive shaft extending perpendicularly to the spindle is mounted in the housing to be rotated by means of a handle. A pinion gear is non-rotatably arranged on the drive shaft and meshes with an oscillating gear wheel which is mounted in the housing. The oscillating gear wheel comprises an eccentric pin engaging with a driving element which is axially fixed to the spindle.
When the handle is rotated for retrieving a fishing line attached to the line spool, the drive shaft and, thus, the pinion gear rotate. The pinion gear drives the oscillating gear wheel whose eccentric pin moves the driving element back and forth in the longitudinal direction of the spindle. The driving element then oscillates the spindle and, thus, the line spool in the longitudinal direction of the spindle. The handle drives, via a gear transmission arranged in the housing, a hollow shaft which projects from the housing and which is coaxial with the spindle and through which the spindle extends. The hollow shaft then drives a rotor non-rotatably mounted thereon and supporting a bail for winding the line on the line spool.
During retrieving, the line is thus wound on the line spool which, in contrast to the rotor, does not rotate but performs an axially directed oscillating motion. As a result, the line is evenly spread over the line spool. However, such even spreading of the line is optimal only for a given line diameter. When a line the diameter of which is smaller or greater than this given line diameter is used, winding-up is displaced in such a manner that the diameter of the line package wound on the line spool is not the same over the entire axial extent of the line spool, but is greater at one end or the other of the line spool. When a cast is carried out after retrieving, the line in the higher portion falls down towards the lower, thereby decreasing the possibilities of making long casts.
This problem is described in more detail in U.S. Pat. No. 4,927,094 which also indicates a solution to the problem in the above-described type of open-face fishing reels of the fixed-spool type.
A similar problem is also to be found in a new kind of open-face fishing reels of the fixed-spool type, which differs from the type described above especially in that the spindle is non-rotatable and has a rear spindle member mounted in the housing, and a front spindle member which is sleeve-shaped and non-rotatably supports a hollow line spool shaft which in turn rotatably supports the line spool, and in that an oscillating member is arranged in the sleeve-shaped front spindle member and is connected to both the rotor and the line spool shaft so as to oscillate the line spool as the rotor rotates.